Public meeting set for Belmont bike bump track proposal

A proposal to install a bicycle pump track in Belmont is the topic of a community meeting on Wednesday, Jan. 15.

The City of Belmont is hosting a meeting at 7 p.m. at Twin Pines Lodge, at 40 Twin Pines Lane, to discuss the findings of a preliminary feasibility study on a bike pump track, an idea first pitched by community members in 2016.

A bike pump track features dirt rollers and berms and is designed to be ridden without pedaling, as riders gain momentum by creating “pumping” motions with their upper body.

At a Belmont Parks & Recreation Commission meeting in September last year, Commissioner Thaddeus Block, himself a cyclist, said the proposal maintains support from the local cycling community. Such tracks can be relatively inexpensive, from $20,000 to $40,000, and can be built as part of a volunteer effort, Block said. Such venues provide a safe place for people of all ages to work on their bicycling skills and encourage exercise, he added.

In 2018, an ad hoc committee was formed to explore the topic and consider and evaluate potential sites for either a permanent or small pilot track. Sites that have been considered include the Sports Complex, Hidden Canyon, Water Dog Lake (near top of the John Brooks trail), and the Oracle parking lot by the Sports Complex. The proposal, however, remains in an early planning stage that aims to gather community feedback before presenting a plan to City Council.

Photo credit: A bike pump track in the City of Leavenworth, Wash., by the City of Leavenworth.